Revelations
by Laura Harkness
Summary: Ten is Doctor-napped and who can save him but Rose, Jack, the rest of the Torchwood team and *maybe* an old friend. A story of heroism, villainy, pain, suffering, brutality, loyalty, courage, and most of all perserverance... plus a little bit of dancing!
1. Chapter 1

**REVELATIONS**

**(Standalone but follows my story _Plague_)**

**PROLOGUE**

The Assistant Director of Planetary Security was speaking to an elite group of special agents.

"Contact was lost with our off-world colony without any forewarning or indication of difficulty. Preliminary investigation has shown the colony to have vanished. The whereabouts of the colonists, or whether they are still alive, is unknown. A potential suspect has been identified as being in the vicinity at roughly the same time as contact was lost."

A fuzzy three-dimensional hologram appeared.

"We have been documenting this being for quite some time now. As you see, it appears to be a binary organism of some type; possibly mammalian in nature. Although its outward appearance occasionally changes, it is rarely encountered in singular form."

The hologram blinked out of existence.

"It has been noted by our research specialists to have been in close proximity to several large-scale planetary catastrophes, including the recent near-extermination of an entire space-fairing race, and appears as well to be responsible for the deaths of countless other beings."

The Assistant Director pointedly scrutinized the audience.

"Your assignment is to locate and surveil this potential menace. It should be considered dangerous. Do not approach or attempt to make contact with it. If you find it, report back and await further instructions. Take no action and do not threaten it. Again, this being should be considered armed and extremely dangerous…

"Good luck and be careful out there!"

**ONE**

The Doctor pulled his coat more tightly around his body and hugged himself as he shivered. Of all the places in the galaxy… in the entire _universe _that Rose would ask to visit, she'd chosen the Antarctic!

"Oh how I loathe being cold!" he mumbled under his frozen breath as he observed Rose, who was a few feet away happily observing a breeding colony of Emperor Penguins.

Rose chose not to hear him but instead giggled at a nearby group of adults and chicks as they waddled across the ice.

And it wasn't just the cold that bothered The Doctor.

"Blimey! They're loud!" had been his initial reaction to the incessant squawks made by the critters as they vocally tracked the whereabouts of their mates and babies.

He studied the penguins with envy as he stomped his feet. Apparently they were well-insulated against the minus 40 degree temperature. Beyond that, they seemed to have perfected a sort of group 'huddle' where they shared each other's warmth.

Rose giggled again and it irked him even more. "Rose! You could watch the same thing on 'David Attenborough'!"

"I warned you," answered Rose over the shoulder of her massive down parka. "You should've dressed more appropriately! Why you insisted on wearing only that coat of yours when you knew how cold it would be I'll never understand!"

"All right, all right, I'll go back to the TARDIS and dig out some gloves," he said resignedly as she squinted at him, "_and_ a hat." Happier, Rose shot him a wink and a smile before she turned back to the colony.

As the Time Lord crunched his way over the snow, he suddenly had the strangest feeling that someone was watching him. He spun round and looked at Rose, who was once again fully engrossed by the birds. 'Hmmm…' he thought. 'Odd. My brain must be as frozen as my feet.'


	2. Chapter 2

**

* * *

**

REVELATIONS

**TWO**

It turned out The Doctor never did return to watch the penguins. He kept an eye on Rose via the display monitor, but otherwise was unable to find an appropriate hat.

Previous regenerations had worn plenty of hats, and of course he still had them all, but none suited his current sense of fashion; nor his rather unique hairstyle.

He couldn't help it; he was vain about his appearance and especially his hair. That's why a hooded parka wouldn't have worked for him either – one never knew when Captain Jack Harkness, 'Jack-with-the-always-perfect-hair', might show up unexpectedly. Having hat-hair or hood-hair just wouldn't do.

The Time Lord also found himself preoccupied with picking up and examining his old headwear. He rarely, if ever, ruminated about the past; he never had the time. But the touch, the _feel _of them brought back memories. Neither good nor bad, just memories… The old wide-brimmed felt hat made him think of how long it'd been since he'd had a jelly baby – 'guess I don't have much of a sweet tooth these days' he said to himself; the white fedora with the red hatband – 'suppose I'm not a big fan of celery anymore either'; and then there was the straw boater…

None of which were a suitable match against the bone-deep Antarctic cold.

And that's how Rose found him when she returned an hour or so later: Sitting cross-legged on the floor, wearing an old multi-color knit scarf around his neck and surrounded by a veritable sea of hats.

She walked over to him, unzipping her parka. "Doctor," she spoke quietly. "What are you doing?"

He looked up at her and smiled; an old deerstalker cap in his hands. "I'm looking for a hat that maybe, if I'm really lucky, I no longer need?"

Although he was smiling, to her his eyes looked inexplicably sad. She crouched down beside him and picked up an old brown felt fedora, studied it for a moment and then grinned.

"And what are _you_ smiling at?" he asked her.

"What are you doing with this?" She laughed softly and put it on her head – it was way too large so she removed it and scrutinized the hat further as she brushed the dust off from its brim. "It reminds me of Indiana Jones. Do you have a leather jacket and bullwhip to go with it?"

He put down the deerstalker and took the fedora from her. "Well, I do have a leather coat, as you already know, but it's not brown and it's not a regulation flight jacket. I don't think there's a bullwhip anywhere on this ship. Nor am I ophidiophobic…"

"Huh?" Rose shook her head and then laughed again as she removed her parka and slipped the boots off her half-frozen feet. She shivered, "Makes me think, though, it'd be nice to go somewhere warm, maybe tropical? Humid would be lovely, too, and, well, anywhere not frozen."

The Doctor nodded slowly, still stroking the fedora and obviously lost in thought.

"Unless," said Rose, looking down at the hat, "the two of you want to be alone?"

After a long pause he answered her. "No… it's just, it's just from a different regeneration, a different life." _Almost too unimaginably different to believe possible…_

"Do you want to talk about it?" Rose had asked him that same question a million times. Each time she got the same response. It was no different this time.

"Maybe later."

The wall had gone up once again. She looked down at the floor.

The Doctor abruptly stood, tossing the hat through the air onto the coat tree, where it miraculously came to a perfect landing.

"Let's go somewhere warm!" He offered her his hand and smiled.

"Preferably without snakes," she laughed.

The heads of several thousand penguins turned as one when the TARDIS left Antarctica.


	3. Chapter 3

**REVELATIONS**

**THREE**

It was not a tropical paradise, but at least, Rose thought, it was warm and the landscape wasn't covered with bird droppings.

And there were no snakes.

It was a desert planet and a deserted one as well. A lifeless wasteland of arid burnt oranges, apricots, corals, and gingers. Old, tortured-looking rock formations loomed above them as they sat on The Doctor's coat, which he had carefully laid out for them on the sandy ground, their backs resting against the warm exterior of the TARDIS. In the sky a red giant sun, long past its prime and approaching the end of its life, hung over their heads.

They were comfortably quiet for the longest time, looking out at the barren scenery.

"It's beautiful, in a bleak sort of way." Rose finally said, breaking the silence.

"It's a moon," explained The Doctor, after a moment. "It's the largest moon of a gas giant; you can't see the planet it is orbiting in synchronous rotation because it's behind us, beyond the horizon. Any earthlike planets that circled this sun would've been engulfed as the star expanded when its hydrogen decreased. Afterwards all that was left were the gas giants and their moons. This moon had been frozen desolation before the star became a red giant. Now it's thawed desolation."

The Doctor sighed, leaned his head back against the TARDIS and briefly closed his eyes before continuing. He inhaled deeply.

"This solar system was once home to the most extraordinary race. They were inward-looking, not outward. They valued solitude, peace and tranquility above all else. They had no space travel of any kind; they never ventured beyond their atmosphere…"

He smiled wanly. "Instead they were artists – they dedicated their civilization to creation, and they produced, fashioned and formed the most amazing works of art. Paintings and sculptures that would take your breath away; music that would astonish you; the most beautiful dance you could imagine; literature and theater that were unmatched anywhere else in the galaxy."

There was a long silence. Rose looked at him with growing alarm. "What happened to them?"

The Time Lord shrugged. "They're gone; consumed along with their planet when their sun expanded. Their biosphere was destroyed, their oceans evaporated and eventually the surface of their planet melted. Everything they were, everything they created, is lost."

Rose sat, blinking at him and feeling ill.

"The same as millions upon millions of civilizations that preceded them, and I'm sure millions upon millions more that will follow. Such is the way of all things."

He looked at her, realization hitting him belatedly. "I'm sorry – I didn't mean to upset you."

"Did you know them?" she asked. "Had you met them?"

"Yes," he whispered. "I knew them."

Her face brightened just a bit. "Then, it's like what they say, as long as you remember them…"

Her voice trailed off and she touched his arm with her hand.

He shivered in response.

"Doctor, are you all right?"

"I don't know… I feel like…" he made an odd sort of face and shivered again as his eyes scanned their surroundings. "I feel like we should go."


	4. Chapter 4

**REVELATIONS**

**FOUR**

The Assistant Director was standing at a desk, reviewing the latest field reports.

Of particular interest were the bulletins concerning their suspect in the disappearance of the off-world colonists.

It was an unusual case if not bizarre. And particularly surprising there was such scant intelligence on this being, which seemed to travel so freely across the galaxy and appear openly in so many different places. None of the other planetary security agencies in the Galactic Defense Network had additional information beyond what was already known. No one had managed to identify where it was from, what its motives were or what forces, if any, influenced it. And many of those other agencies had questions of their own they were anxious to raise.

A puzzling and possibly murderous enigma, shrouded in mystery; _that_ was their suspect.

The pressure to get to the bottom of what had happened to the colony was considerable. Having the time for simple surveillance would soon be a past luxury. The suspect must eventually be brought in alive for questioning, if that was possible. The Assistant Director wasn't certain it was: the being seemed incredibly powerful and wily as well – a very challenging combination, even for the best of Agency operatives.

There was no question careful planning, hard work and good organization would be required to capture the suspect. And although the idea wasn't thrilling, and it had been a very long time since it had last been mandated, there was also little doubt the Assistant Director would have to take to the field in order to properly lead the investigation and assure the suspect's apprehension.

In the meantime years of experience had proven all sentient beings followed identifiable patterns in their short- and long-term activities. No matter how obscure or difficult to perceive, such a pattern would be found in this instance. Hopefully sooner rather than later…


	5. Chapter 5

**REVELATIONS**

**FIVE**

The Doctor was strolling through the TARDIS, blowing on a harmonica.

Rose didn't play any musical instruments, but she recognized a sour note when she heard one, and she was hearing quite a few. She grimaced and wondered how she might distract him away from his current endeavor. She put down her book and padded after him.

"Doctor, how about a game of chess?" It was one of his favorite games and he'd proudly acquired many beautiful and fantastic chess sets during his lifetime. He had been patiently teaching her tactics and strategies; she diligently studied various openings and was making an effort to become a worthy opponent.

He paused, looked at her, shrugged and continued 'playing'.

"Go?" she asked. There was no response. "Checkers? What about Xiangqi?"

The Doctor loved all abstract strategy games; he had lectured her at length about combinatorial game theory, probability theory, and Von Neumann-Morgenstern game theory. Rose had never known him to turn down an invitation, but there were many other types of games in the TARDIS… She wasn't giving up, not yet.

"Mahjong?" He shot her a pained look and shook his head. "Backgammon?" Again, no response. "How about cribbage?" she finally asked with a sly grin, knowing full well _it_ was the game Jack and he played; she never played cribbage with The Doctor – had never been asked.

The Doctor recognized bait when he saw it. "Do you fancy a game, Rose?" he asked, lowering his harmonica.

Rose nodded, "Do you?"

"How about baseball?"

"You want _me_ to play baseball?" She stepped back and looked at him incredulously.

He smiled. "No, not play – have you ever been to a game?"

She shook her head.

"You know, many on your planet believe baseball is the ultimate combination of skill, timing, athleticism, and strategy. Some of your world's greatest poets, including Walt Whitman and Robert Frost, have written about it. Many famous quotes were born from it including 'It ain't over till it's over', 'Déjà vu all over again', and the lesser known but perhaps more lyrical 'The other sports are just sports. Baseball is a love'."

Rose was standing there stunned, blinking at him, wondering what he was about.

"Well, you like cricket, don't you?"

She shook her head vehemently.

"No matter, how about I take you to a baseball game? And not just any baseball game! How about the most exciting baseball game ever played?"

Rose nodded dumbly. At least he'd stopped playing the harmonica.


	6. Chapter 6

**REVELATIONS**

**SIX**

At great cost and from several highly unusual sources, information had been obtained.

Information that the Assistant Director considered critical.

A small, superlative special ops force had been assembled. Based on the information, they now knew the suspect was not some sort of bizarre binary entity but rather that it rarely traveled alone.

It was clear enough which entity was the suspect, and which was its follower. The latter was not of interest, aside perhaps as a possible lure, if required.

While not a shape-shifter the suspect did, on rare occasions, change its form. That in itself was not seen as a serious impediment to its capture.

They had also learned there were ways to detect and track the being: specifically the occurrence of temporal abnormalities and disturbances in the spacetime continuum that accompanied it when it traveled.

Beyond that, and perhaps most importantly, like many criminals, the suspect appeared to have a home base it returned to repeatedly. It was ironic if not downright suspicious, thought the Assistant Director, that this home base had also been the former location of the now missing colony.

Perhaps this being was not so clever after all.


	7. Chapter 7

**REVELATIONS**

**SEVEN**

He brought her to the final game of the 1991 World Series.

As they took their seats in the stands The Doctor explained that for the first time in history both league champions had finished the previous season in last place. It was arguably the most exciting Series ever played: five of its games were won by a single run, four games were decided in the final at-bat, and three went into extra innings.

"It was grueling and relentless," he told her. "There was a total of 69 innings, more than were played in any other seven-game World Series. In the third game, which went to twelve innings, one of the teams actually ran out of hitters! This game, the seventh, is a classic pitchers' duel. Tonight we'll see some of the finest defensive baseball ever played! But what makes this Series so incredible is that not a single player on either team ever gave up. The determination, dedication and endurance were phenomenal. There were no quitters…"

The Doctor opened his program to the scoring chart and pulled out a pencil from his pocket. Rose was balancing their popcorn, pretzels, hot dogs and drinks precariously on her lap and watched with hidden amusement as the Time Lord carefully smoothed out the paper and meticulously filled in the roster names.

The game started and the noise from the crowd was unbelievable. Rose had always thought baseball was played outside, but not here, not this game. It was in a large covered stadium and the sound reverberated and echoed on itself. They had their heads close together as The Doctor explained in a loud whisper the theory and workings of baseball.

"It is, on the surface, not very complicated. The goal of a game is to score more points, which are called 'runs' in the language of baseball, than the other team. Each team, usually composed of 9 or 10 players, attempts to score runs while on offense, by completing a tour of the 'bases', which form a square-shaped figure called a 'diamond.' Baseball is played in a series of usually 9 'innings', each of which is divided into two halves called 'top' and 'bottom' in that order. In each half-inning, the offensive team attempts to score runs until three of its players are put 'out', or removed from play by actions of the defensive team. After the third out, the teams switch roles for the other half of the inning."

He noticed Rose was getting glassy eyed. He smiled and put his arm around her, pointing with the pencil in his free hand at the scoreboard. "Perhaps the reason I love this game so much and what makes it different from all the rest is that it has no clock; it is not constrained by time. A team cannot win without getting the last batter out."

He looked into her eyes and shook his head. "I don't know; there's something of a comfort in that to me, not having to worry about time. The timelessness is liberating."

The Doctor pulled his arm away and settled back into his chair, but first he leaned in close to her once again and whispered, "Just wait until the eighth inning! You won't believe it!"

They didn't make it that far.

Rose noticed that he'd stopped keeping score in his program. Concerned, she asked, "Is there something wrong, Doctor?"

He was sitting absolutely still but to her shock she realized that his eyes were nervously darting back and forth.

"We're in danger here, Rose," he finally said. "We need to leave. After this 'out' the entire crowd will stand for what they call 'the seventh inning stretch' – that will be our best chance to inconspicuously slip away. You go first; I'll follow shortly thereafter and meet up with you at the TARDIS."

Rose made as if to argue. He cut her off.

"Don't squabble with me," he growled softly. "Do you understand?"

She nodded mutely.

"Good, your life may depend on it. Now, discreetly begin putting down the stuff on your lap and then get your things together. Continue watching the game. When the crowd stands, walk away and don't look back."


	8. Chapter 8

**REVELATIONS**

**EIGHT**

True to his word, The Doctor was less than a minute behind her as he closed and locked the doors.

"What's going on, Doctor?" she asked as he began punching coordinates into the console.

"I need to get you somewhere safe, and then I'll explain. Let's take this one step at a time – I'm going to bring you home, to Jackie.

"But for now, please, just be quiet!"

Rose's eyes widened; she was unaccustomed to such harsh treatment. But by the look on his face, it was clear he would accept no argument from her. She kept her peace as the Time Lord started up his TARDIS and took her home.

Once arrived, he prevented her from immediately running out the door as was her habit. Instead, he spent several minutes using the display to carefully examine their surroundings.

"It seems we are all right," he said at last. _Although there are times I wish we had more than just defensive capabilities..._

He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and looked at her before walking down the ramp. "I'll go out first. Give it a couple of moments before you follow me."

The Doctor opened the door with his usual flourish and _joie de vivre_.

She watched him from the entrance as he stepped out and strolled a few steps. He turned back round towards her and smiled, but then an odd look flashed across his face.

"Rose!" he screamed. "Get back!" She automatically retreated from the entryway and the last glimpse she had of him was as he raised the screwdriver and pointed it at the TARDIS. The doors slammed shut and she raced to the console display and frantically tried to locate him.

He was gone.

On top of _that_ staggering revelation, the TARDIS engines suddenly revved.

The hologram was right where she expected it. "God, I hate it when this happens," she moaned.

"Rose," it said. "Go find Jack. He'll know what to do."

Then it blinked out of existence.


	9. Chapter 9

**REVELATIONS**

**NINE**

The Assistant Director had been observing the prisoner via a closed-circuit video system.

One of the many surprises since its capture was how puny and fragile the suspect was.

After being apprehended and stunned it had curled its four major appendages into a small, tight ball. It was apparently undamaged permanently, according to the examining physician, but it had not uncoiled since being placed in its cell.

They had removed its soft outer wrappings and were met with another surprise. Its skin was delicate, invariant, and obviously easily broken. They had inadvertently punctured its flimsy exterior and vital fluid of some type had briefly leaked out for a short time before slowing and then eventually ceasing.

It was obviously a mammal of some sort. After they'd disrobed it the being's epithelial tissues erupted in a pilomotor reflex. There had been a brief accompanying distressed vocal response. The Assistant Director had instructed it be provided with coverlet.

For a being with such an alarming and appalling reputation as a planet killer if not worse, it looked extremely unthreatening at the moment.

The examining physician had cautioned they should not be deceived by its seemingly innocuous outward appearance, and theorized the being was much stronger than its impression. Regardless, the Assistant Director was not one to be easily fooled and prepared fastidiously for a wide range of possible reactions and situations once the suspect regained consciousness. The physician was quite certain the prisoner would awaken, eventually. Its vital signs were within reasonable parameters.

Such was as it had been and still appeared: curled up in a ball, covered by an old blanket.

With a start the Assistant Director realized the being's light detection organs had exposed themselves. Its eyes were not compound, as was typical and most common. Instead they appeared to be simple mammalian eyes with a single iris, pupil and lens, and they were pointed directly at the camera.

It was time for the next phase of the investigation to begin.


	10. Chapter 10

**REVELATIONS**

**TEN**

"What do you mean he told you I'd _know what to do_?!"

The TARDIS had landed at the center of the Torchwood hub. It was the middle of the night in Cardiff and Jack had crawled out from his private quarters wearing tattered boxers and pulling on a scruffy old sleeveless t-shirt over his head.

"I don't know! That's all he said. He said 'Go find Jack.' The TARDIS came here on its own, like it was pre-programmed or something. Why don't you come inside?" Rose nodded her head towards the ship. "Maybe there's a message in there for you with additional instructions."

Jack folded his arms across his chest and looked around the facility. He was alone; no one else was there. If he left now, he wasn't sure when he'd be back and that wasn't a good thing. "I don't know," he said. "It's not a great time for me to leave right now."

"Jack," said Rose, reaching out for him. "He's disappeared. He'd do the same for you, you know. Drop everything and go after you."

He shook his head. "Damn it. I know, I know. Still, this is just _really_ bad timing. Not that with him its ever good timing, but especially now, this is just a terrible time."

There were things going on, things related his past that Jack didn't want to tell Rose about; didn't want to tell _anyone_ about. But they were so very important, and if he missed his chance the opportunity could be lost forever, and for him forever was a very long time…

Rose's eyes flashed with impatience. "Someone has taken The Doctor!" she hissed.

Jack felt his heart thump hard in his chest; his determination wavered and then evaporated.

"Okay, okay, I give up!" He looked at her and smiled thinly. "Make me a coffee, will you? I'll go change – it wouldn't do for me to go gallivanting around the universe in my small clothes."

She looked at him, noticing for the first time he was partially, mostly, naked.

"You have nice legs," Rose said, despite herself.

He chuckled ruefully as he turned away. "Flattery will get you anywhere...

"And get that coffee going – make it a double; no wait! Make it a triple!"


	11. Chapter 11

**REVELATIONS**

**ELEVEN**

The Doctor had been in some awful situations, but he couldn't recollect any that were as bad as the present.

First of all, they'd taken his clothes. All of them.

Second, they'd taken his sonic screwdriver and his glasses.

Third, they'd stunned him with some sort of device that had knocked him totally, terrifyingly, helplessly unconscious.

Fourth, they'd drugged him. He wasn't sure what they drugged him with or why, but under the circumstances it hadn't really been necessary because their stun weapon had clearly been extremely effective.

Fifth, they had stuck him in a tiny, over lit, completely empty cell that was freezing cold.

Sixth, and although this was not exclusively bad, they had given him a blanket that smelled terrible. The stench of it nearly made him sick and if he hadn't been so freezing cold he would've thrown it across the room – across all eight feet of it.

Seventh, he had no idea where he was or why he was there.

Having thus made an inventory of bad things, he was relieved to begin his inventory of the good.

Well, first, Rose was probably safe. He was pretty sure she was.

Second, he had left her a directive. Not normally paranoid, he was glad he'd listened to one of the lesser of his emotions and indulged it by providing instructions.

Third, he didn't seem to be badly injured, although he wasn't sure he'd tolerate being stunned again, and he didn't at all like being drugged. The substance seemed to increase his sensitivity to light and sound, and perhaps smell as well; plus his capacity to think lucidly was negatively impacted. He felt like his head was stuffed with rancid cotton.

'Seven to three,' he thought. 'Not so great.' He'd need to work on the 'good' category and try to control any further increase of the 'bad'.

His plan flew out the door as it opened with a loud clang and there appeared a being of a type he'd not encountered previously.

He was very accustomed to seeing aliens and felt quite immune to the effect of whatever might present itself to him. However, _this _alien was better than none and worse than most.

The Doctor swallowed back some bile. He'd never been particularly fond of insects, and what now intruded into his tiny, too-bright world looked unfortunately rather like a six foot tall praying mantis.

It had antennae, large compound eyes, several sets of mouthparts, long sticky-looking wings, and three pairs of 'appendages'. Four of the appendages were used as legs and the upper set seemed to be arms.

Worse, it smelled like the blanket, only multiplied by a zillion times. The Doctor suddenly felt nauseous and the room began to spin as he tried unsuccessfully to stifle his dry heaves.

But the stench was not the very worst thing. The creature had begun to make a loud, half-grating, half-buzzing noise by undulating its abdomen. Intellectually The Doctor knew it was called stridulation and was a form of communication, but with his increased sensitivity to sound he thought it would drive him insane.

As the sound and the stench continued, he fought to retain his reason but failed.

"What?!" he screamed. He scrabbled across the floor and pressed himself as tightly as he could into a far corner, pulling the putrid blanket around his body. "What is going on?! What am I doing here?! What do you want?!"

The thing paused for a moment, extracted a long thin needle from a pouch, and resumed its approach.

"No!" shrieked The Doctor as it drew near with the needle. "Rose!" he cried.

And then everything went black.


	12. Chapter 12

**REVELATIONS**

**TWELVE**

Jack left a post-it note stuck to Ianto's computer monitor. 'Back Soon!' it read. 'XOX'.

With more than a little trepidation the Captain walked through the doors of the TARDIS, shutting them behind him.

Moving up to the console he was trying to remember if he'd ever been in the TARDIS when the Doctor wasn't at home. He didn't think he had and he stood, hands deep in his coat pockets, looking around the control room. Jack pursed his lips and his eyes welled up with tears. 'I'm getting emotional in my old age,' he chastised himself. 'I wonder what I'll be like in five billion years…?'

Rose was sitting on the chair – the only chair – and he went over and scrunched in beside her.

"What now?"

She took his hand in hers, intertwining their fingers. "Wait for it," she murmured.

It didn't take long.

"Captain?"

Jack looked around and then saw it. "Jesus," he said.

"No, guess again." The hologram looked right at him and smiled.

Rose's fingers tightened around his.

"Doctor?" Jack half-whispered.

"Right. You've got it. Now, I'm not sure who's taken me but I think they've been following us for quite some time and hopefully Rose has an idea because she saw them."

Jack glanced sidelong at her, she sadly shook her head.

"If not, then you're going to have to go looking. It's a big universe and I've made a few enemies in nine-hundred years. To help you I've left a list in the database. I alphabetized it!" Jack thought The Doctor looked particularly proud of himself. "It starts with the Abzorbaloff and ends with the Zygons. Erm, it's a pretty long list…"

The hologram was quiet for a moment; Jack and Rose looked at each other wondering if that was the end of the message, but then The Doctor cleared his throat and continued.

"There is someone else, of course, who might be able to help – in fact I'm certain she can. I don't know if she'll be happy to see you and you may not even be able to find her, but it's worth thinking about."

The Doctor turned his head to the side and then quickly looked back at them. "I gotta scoot. Good luck!"

The hologram disappeared with a flash of light and a loud pop that made Rose jump.

"Wow!" she exclaimed. "It's never done that before!"

She looked at Jack and continued to grip his hand. She knew what he was feeling; it was always difficult when the image disappeared. It was lonely. She was certain Jack was feeling that peculiar emptiness and sought to bring him back to the present.

"Was he talking about who I think he was talking about?" she asked.

Jack pried his eyes from the spot that had held The Doctor's image. He nodded slowly as he looked at her.

"Our final option, but first let's look at this list of his. How bad can it be?"


	13. Chapter 13

**REVELATIONS**

**THIRTEEN**

A few minutes later the Captain answered his own question.

"Oh my God!" he said, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "It's really bad!

"I mean," Jack continued, "I knew the man had enemies, but I had no idea how many! Does he go around and purposefully piss people off?"

Rose couldn't help but laugh at that. "No of course not. Remember what Wil said about Ma'at's scale? It's just the people who he's helped rarely know he's been there. They'd far outweigh this group if we had their list to compare." She nodded at the monitor. "Still, that doesn't help us, does it? I'm afraid I wouldn't live long enough to make it through even half of this list…"

Jack moved away and sat heavily on the chair. Rose turned to look at him.

"Even if we did decide to start with the list," he said darkly, "if he's in physical danger it could be too late by the time we find him."

He desperately wanted Rose to make the call. He wanted her to decide to go looking for Wil Beinert in the Brave Woman galaxy. He'd already been informed in no uncertain terms that Wil didn't want to see him again, at least for a very, very long time. He couldn't help it – as irrational as it seemed her decision to leave had hurt him terribly and he felt as if he'd been dumped.

Rose looked at him and nodded. "Do you think we should bring her turtles?"

"No," he answered, suddenly having an idea. "Let's give her a reason to come back. In the meantime, how do we get this old bucket of bolts to go?"

Rose shrugged. "I thought you might know."

Jack stood, turned in a graceful circle studying the TARDIS, and laughed. "I have no idea!"

After a moment he crossed his arms over his chest, leaned back and looked at the console's central column. "Ship!" he bellowed. "Fetch Wil!"

The engines roared to life and they were gone.


	14. Chapter 14

**REVELATIONS**

**FOURTEEN**

The Doctor regained consciousness slowly, but he was coherent enough to keep his eyes tightly shut and his breathing shallow.

'Is this really happening?' he asked himself. It seemed that it was. The condition of his body – wrapped in a foul-smelling, scratchy blanket and lying prone on a hard, cold floor – was enough to confirm his suspicion that he'd not been hallucinating.

His next question was harder to answer. 'What am I going to do?' His options were few. He could continue to pretend he was unconscious, but how long could he maintain that charade? Or, he could try to communicate with his captor. The latter option frightened the hell out of him, but he could see no other choice. He wasn't sure how long he'd been held, but he was starting to wonder if the fragile rescue plan he'd put into place had failed. And if so… perhaps Rose hadn't escaped; was in danger?

He opened his eyes, pulled the blanket around him as best as he could, shakily rose to his feet and looked at the door. Briefly he yearned for his clothes, his coat, his shoes, and wondered what had been done with them… He felt his mind wavering and refocused on the door.

The wait was interminable; he was weak and desperately wanted to lean against the wall. Countering that urge was his desire to face his captors as deserving of their respect. Since they had taken everything from him, all he had to use was his body. So he continued to stand, difficult as it was, as he willed and dared his jailor to return.

The familiar sound of the lock gave him precious seconds to prepare. He pressed his nails through the fabric of the blanket into his palms and took a deep breath as the door opened.

For the briefest moment he fantasized it was someone else… but then he saw the creature. It scuttled in and he was immediately overwhelmed by the sight, sound and smell of it. He felt his eyes rolling up into his head while the breath and strength left him. "Oh no," he moaned, and he screamed as his uncontrollable body hit the floor.

Somewhere he heard a child cry out in fear or in pain; he realized it was his own cry he heard.

Fleetingly, it occurred to him that he was convulsing. He felt the familiar prick of the needle in his neck and once again descended into oblivion.


	15. Chapter 15

**REVELATIONS**

**FIFTEEN**

The Assistant Director reeled out of the cell and slammed up against the corridor.

Over the span of many cycles at the Security Agency there had been countless investigations and innumerable interrogations.

None has been as horrific as this. The extreme physical brutality of the sessions had become revolting, abhorrent and deeply disturbing.

In disgust the injection needle flew through the air and smashed into the wall.

Numberless criminals had passed through the facility, all presenting their own unique challenges. Almost all were guilty, of course. Some did not survive questioning, but in the end they would've been executed in any case, so it was not a worrisome matter.

But there was something different about this prisoner. Something previously not encountered. The Assistant Director sought a moment of serenity in order to concentrate. It, no, _he_ – the being was a male of the species – displayed uncommon bravery and fortitude: the way _he_ stood, waiting, inviting the interview; the way _he_ focused his sight organs straight ahead, clear, bright and unwavering; how _he_ attempted to fight the horrendous physical debilities that overtook and incapacitated him.

After all the cycles and all the suspects, the Assistant Director had come to believe in an unfailing aptitude to discern good from evil. There was no evil evident in the eyes of this suspect. Those strange, simple, shining orbs, which normally would be so repugnant, had become almost a consolation when observed via the video monitor.

The Assistant Director was beginning to doubt the probability of ever looking directly into those strange eyes.

Their job was to get at the truth and obtain a confession. The traditional method wasn't working. Something else would have to be devised.


	16. Chapter 16

**REVELATIONS**

**SIXTEEN**

Gwen and Tosh were standing in front of Ianto as he sat at his desk, holding a pink post-it in his hand.

"Damn it!" spat Gwen, "he's left us again!"

She turned to look at Tosh. "Can we tell where he's gone?"

Tosh moved to her workstation and punched a few keys. On the large plasma wall monitor an image of the hub was rendered and fast forwarded. All three gasped when the tall blue box suddenly appeared in the center of the room.

"That Time Lord," moaned Ianto, "is nothing but trouble."

The two women sadly looked at him, knowing there was more than simple professional concern being expressed.

"Yeah," answered Gwen miserably. "I wish he'd stay away from here."

The group watched as Rose exited the TARDIS and waited. Jack came into the scene a minute or so later, the two conversed at length and then Jack strode away.

There was no sign of The Doctor.

After a few more minutes Jack reappeared carrying a very large duffle bag. He walked to Ianto's workstation and then over to Rose, who handed him a coffee mug and kissed him on the cheek before they disappeared into the ship.

Ianto, Gwen and Tosh stood looking at the monitor in shock. Ianto was the first to break the silence.

"Something has happened to The Doctor."

"Right," said Gwen. "Tosh, back up the video and give us the audio. Let's see what we can do to help."


	17. Chapter 17

**REVELATIONS**

**SEVENTEEN**

As The Doctor slowly came to he kept his eyes closed and pressed his face into the cool, hard floor.

The habitual post-unconsciousness stocktaking resumed.

Certainly the purpose of the 'sessions' could not be their persistently inevitable outcome. If it was, he doubted he would survive many more of them. With each occurrence he lost more of himself, it became harder to revive intact, more painful to not cease to be. Surely the creature had to realize this?

'The creature,' The Doctor reflected. It was not the way he normally thought of other entities. He had always prided himself on his open-mindedness and acceptance of all lifeforms. An amalgam of nightmares, the jailer appalled him. Standing there, naked, both literally and figuratively, there seemed to be nothing he could do to counter his inescapable reaction to its presence.

Regeneration would not help him, although without the TARDIS it would be extremely difficult if not impossible. For the first time in his existence he wanted to die. Was this despair part of an inexorable descent into madness, or was it his rational reaction to a ghastly and wretched situation?

He closed his eyes more tightly, trying to stop the tears. "Rose," he cried softly, "Rose…" He imagined her soft, smooth hands on his body, quieting and calming him. "Susan… Sarah Jane… Tegan… Nyssa… Leela… Romana…" He slowly named them all, remembering each of his companions tenderly, seeking to somehow obtain a small amount of comfort as they moved single-file through his mind.

But comfort seemed to be a scarce commodity.

"Rose," he repeated, more softly than before. "Where are you?"


	18. Chapter 18

**REVELATIONS**

**EIGHTEEN**

The TARDIS had delivered them to the planet, the _place_ that had been her last destination in the Brave World galaxy.

Jack was the first to recognize it as they left the ship and squinted in the bright radiance of the two suns overhead – the blood red grass, the seared orange sky, the incandescent mountains far off in the distance – there could be no doubt. "Bloody hell," he whispered, "it's Gallifrey."

Instinctively Rose reached for his hand. "How?"

"I don't know; she must've created it... Rose," there was a sound of desperation in his voice, "I'm not sure we should be here. I'm getting a bad feeling – we don't know what she is, what she's become."

"Jack, do we have any other choice?"

"I think we might. We need to go back and look at this again, get my team involved. And there are others we can go to for assistance. I'm afraid, Rose. I'm afraid she might be more of a hindrance than a help. Rose, I'm afraid of _her_…"

The voice came from behind, startling them, "You don't need to be afraid."

Jack released Rose's hand as the two turned around and faced Wil Beinert.

She looked just as she had when they'd last seen her, except, Jack noticed, her green eyes were also blue and tinged with flecks of gold.

He'd fully intended to step in front of Rose in what would've been a highly heroic yet probably futile attempt to protect her.

But he never had the chance. Rose shrieked, "Wil!" and took off like a shot towards her erstwhile friend. As near as Jack could tell, the two women embraced warmly and Wil's face displayed genuine delight until, he realized with astonishment, _she_ realized that Rose was sobbing.

Wil's gladness changed to a look of concern. At that moment, Jack understood Wil wasn't wondering what was wrong, she already knew. Instead, she was considering what, if anything, she should do about it.

He caught her eyes and held them. He supposed he had no reason to actually speak to her – she likely already knew everything he thought and felt. Still, he had always believed the act of communicating was in itself intrinsically valuable. The simple effort counted for something. There was power in the spoken word, and he would speak and she would listen, or he would die trying.

What he said first actually surprised her.

"You left me."

With those three simple, monosyllabic words Jack Harkness reminded Wil she had misplaced if not lost a small but vital aspect of her humanity. _Of course_ she had left him, and she'd never for a moment doubted her decision to do so, nor regretted it. She had felt it was the right thing to do. _The only thing to do._

And yet… she had never considered how it might have made him feel. Looking into his eyes she realized for the first time she had presented the appearance of rejecting him – rejecting a unique man and loyal friend who had pledged his life to her well-being and happiness. She had hurt him although it had not been her intention, nor had she even realized it as a possibility.

Wil broke his gaze, closed her eyes and buried her face in Rose's hair. Was that the path she was on? There was only one other who displayed such selfish behavior – egocentric enough and so self-righteous that he rarely, if ever, included the feelings of others in his decision-making processes. Had she become The Doctor?

She had once called the Time Lord arrogant, conceited, cold, driven, calculated and callous. Words she would never want used to describe her. Of course he was much more than those words, as was she, but she suddenly realized to her dismay that it might be a package deal.

'Absolute power corrupts absolutely.' She'd always thought it such a trite cliché. But, The Doctor had been born to it; she'd been gifted or cursed with it – she still wasn't sure which.

She had hurt Jack and not realized it.

Wil gently released Rose and looked at him, looked deeply into his beautiful blue eyes. "I'm sorry," she said.

"Apology accepted," was the curt response. "We need your help."

"Am I your 'last, best hope' then?" she smiled at him.

"No, you're our 'first, best hope'," he wanly returned her smile. "And while I'm not so sure how you see it, Rose and I feel like we're very pressed for time. Will you help us?"

"Yes."

Visibly relieved, Jack walked up to her, extending his right hand. She accepted it and they shook. Rose beamed.

"Welcome back," he said. "What do you need?"

"First, tell me everything about what happened." She turned to look at the TARDIS. "And then, I guess, we need to figure out what to do about it."


	19. Chapter 19

**REVELATIONS**

**NINETEEN**

The Doctor woke from troubled dreams into an even more troubling reality. He was _so cold _– his body, his heart, his mind were frigid. There was no further stocktaking – there was nothing left to inventory – there was nothing left at all besides hopelessness, anguish and self pity. Well, those three things and… he calmed his hearts and listened… and a very low, almost inaudible hum...

He paused, his eyes still closed, thinking. Something had changed. Was it good or bad? There was no way to know for sure until he looked. But did he want to look? Did he want to know? He wasn't sure. He didn't think so. He was so tired… so tired and so very cold.

The hum continued; steady, unwavering. Not necessarily an unpleasant sound.

He rubbed the crust from his eyes with his fingers and then pressed his hand into the skin of his face, trying to wake himself up more fully. It was difficult. Painful. The drugs made him feel mostly not there, mostly asleep, mostly dreaming…

He opened his eyes, pulled the blanket around his body, and with great difficulty, and a decided lack of grace, stood.

In front of him, on the wall, was a small video screen. Placed on the floor beneath it appeared to be a sort of chair, obviously crudely made but not an unreasonable attempt.

It was the monitor that was making the sound. It held the image of his captor, who seemed to be observing him in the same way he was looking at it. There was a series of odd sounds, again not necessarily unpleasant, and then what was clearly a computer generated voice. It said, over and over the same word, or was it a phrase?

It sounded like:

Ven k'atesh

The Doctor listened for a long time and finally raised a hand up to near his head, palm facing outwards, fingers curled ever so slightly.

The voice stopped.

He pointed at himself and said, "Doctor."

He repeated the word several more times.

The creature, his jailor, Ven k'atesh, raised one of its upper appendages in an approximation of The Doctor's signal.

"Doctor," the computer voice said.

"Rose," it then added.

"Jack."

"Help."

"What."

"You."

"Why."

"How."

"Me."

"When."

"No."

"Who."

The Doctor's head started to swim. He sat down heavily on the chair, relieved to find it sturdy.

"Stop," he said and raised his hand back up in the air, palm facing outward.

The voice stopped.

'This is going to take some time,' The Doctor thought.


	20. Chapter 20

**REVELATIONS**

**TWENTY**

It did not take as long as it might've.

The Doctor thought either Ven k'atesh was exceedingly intelligent or that there was some incredibly smart technology at work.

It had taken only several sessions, separated by The Doctor's exhausted and perhaps over-medicated need for sleep. When he woke, Ven k'atesh was always there, waiting to resume the interview.

Basic grammar and a rudimentary vocabulary had been covered fairly quickly. It had been a long time since The Doctor had needed to provide language instruction; he'd come to rely so heavily on the TARDIS telepathic field. The encounters reminded him of one of the final scenes in Shakespeare's 'Henry V' where her gentlewoman tries to teach English to Henry's new French Queen.

The Doctor did not have the luxury, as Alice did in 'Henry V', of being able to point to objects other than his own body, but Ven k'atesh appeared to have come prepared for the lessons: there were pictures. Amongst the hundreds of representations displayed were images of the earth, Cardiff, and some lonely abandoned mines outside of the city.

His mind growing clearer, The Doctor was relatively easily able to finally discern why he was being held. The realization, when it came, was both horrifying and exciting. For a brief time he forgot the linguistic divide that separated him from his jailor as he frenetically tried to explain – to convince – Ven k'atesh of the terrible mistake that had been made. The latter held up an appendage.

"Stop," the computer voice said.

"Explain slower."

The Doctor took a deep breath, calmed himself and nodded.

And then, in the simplest terms he could conjure, he told the story of the plague that had wiped out all non-terrestrial life on the earth and nearly killed him and his best friend.

Ven k'atesh knew truth when it appeared. Even if the Assistant Director hadn't been absolutely certain, there was sophisticated monitoring equipment in the cell. All of it indicated the prisoner spoke the truth. The drugs they continued to pour into it, into _him_, while he slept confirmed it as well; under their influence it would be difficult for him to continually deceive them. Ven k'atesh decided the suspect they had tracked down and captured was innocent.

It was a pity, actually, and it put the Security Agency in a very difficult situation.

Ven k'atesh looked back at The Doctor, who was pointing at himself and saying, over and over, "Please, freedom."

The Assistant Director had known this would eventually happen and raised a claw.

"Doctor," the computer voice said. "There are others."

The prisoner's shiny, bright eyes widened.

Ven k'atesh displayed a picture of a Slitheen.

"There are others who assisted us in capturing you and who have laid claim on you."

A picture of a Wirrn flashed up on the monitor, followed by a Sycorax and what could only be a Gelth.

"Besides these that assisted there are others who now know you are here."

An image of a Dalek filled the screen.

"You have many enemies. We can not protect you. It would mean our own destruction. I am sorry."

The Doctor buried his face in his hands and wept.


	21. Chapter 21

**REVELATIONS**

**TWENTYONE**

They had gone back into the TARDIS so that Wil could watch the video of The Doctor's last few moments on the earth.

Jack had already viewed it and believed there was nothing there to see, but Wil was adamant.

After playing the video several times through, Rose was crying softly and Wil shook her head at Jack.

"They had help."

"What?" said Jack.

"I know who they are. Jack, _you_ know who they are. It was the Shrake."

Jack shook his head in confusion but then surprised realization dawned on him.

"My God, the Shrake?"

Wil nodded.

Jack turned to Rose. "Remember? They were the other major E.T. race besides the Weevils in the Cardiff area killed by the nanotech. They lived in the old coal mines outside the city. The Shrake were quiet – loners – we never had any contact with them. They came through the rift and settled down peacefully. If a kid ventured too far into the mines they'd give him a good scare, but otherwise they weren't a problem."

He looked at Wil.

"But why The Doctor? He was an innocent bystander! Worse – he was a victim himself!"

"I told you – they had help. The Shrake are fanatic, obsessive and ruthless hunters, but I don't believe for a minute that they could've brought down The Doctor alone. Someone or _multiple someones_ helped them – I'm willing to bet these other 'interested parties' also want The Doctor. They may have influenced the Shrake's investigation and pointed them in his direction."

Jack's eyes narrowed steely cold. "Do you know where he is?"

"Yes, I do."

"Is he all right?" asked Rose.

She shook her head sadly. "I'm not sure, but I don't think so."

"So we go and get him," hissed Jack.

"I'm afraid it's not going to be that simple. If it was just the Shrake, it'd be easy. But as I said, there may be others involved. I don't know who they are but it could get real ugly, Jack."

"I can get real ugly," he answered with deadly seriousness.

His voice went hard. "And I _will_ rescue him. But let's get something straight, first. There can only be a single chain of command and once we leave your galaxy, Wil, you work for me. I don't care if you're a Time Lord or a Terraformer or Jesus Christ reincarnated. Either you follow my orders without question or I leave you behind. That goes for you, too, Rose. Is this understood?"

The two women looked at him and saw a different Jack Harkness; they saw a merciless, uncompromising and single-minded killer. They saw a Jack Harkness who demanded absolute obedience and expected unwavering loyalty.

'Not a bad man to have covering your six,' thought Wil. 'The Doctor is fortunate.'

They both nodded in unison.

"Good. Wil, get ready to take us to where-ever we need to go. Put us in orbit. Keep it as stealthy as you can."

"With all due respect, what's your plan?" she asked.

"Well, to start with," he looked over at his duffle bag, "it involves a big, honkin' space gun and my blowing up anything that gets in the way."

He was still deadly serious.


	22. Chapter 22

**REVELATIONS**

**TWENTYTWO**

It was dumb luck, really. Dumb luck combined with the brilliant mind of Toshiko Sato.

Tosh had been looking at different ways to potentially track the TARDIS. She'd been thinking specifically about fluctuations in spacetime; Jack had once told her The Doctor's ship manipulated a time vortex, which she imagined to be a type of wormhole.

In reality, it was more like the TARDIS found her. Tosh had been poking around, using whatever tools she had at her disposal to search for spacetime disturbances, when she detected something incredibly unusual and extremely powerful moving towards a planet in a different part of the galaxy; a planet that just happened to be the homeworld of a species in their database.

The pieces of the puzzle fell together in real time as she watched, stunned.

"Gwen, Ianto, I think I have something."

The three looked at the main wall screen, which was displaying a star chart. "I believe I know where the TARDIS is, and it's somewhere familiar in a surprising sort of way – it's at the Shrake homeworld."

"Oh my God," gasped Gwen.

"Exactly," replied Tosh. "They're rated a ten on the 'bad guys' scale; you can't get much worse than that."

"Can we go there?" asked Ianto.

Tosh shook her head. "No, unfortunately Sunjammer, although an inter-stellar ship, is not designed for FTL travel. Even at maximum speed, it would be too slow."

Disappointment hung heavily in the air as the three looked at each other.

"But, I think I might have an idea," Tosh's face suddenly brightened and she chuckled softly. "While we can't travel there physically, we could use a subspace transmission…

"Look, we don't know much about the Shrake other than to stay away from them, but according to the database besides being unquestionably murderous they are an extremely secretive and highly paranoid race."

She scrutinized Ianto. "Do you think you could come up with a message or two that might distract them – maybe make it easier for Jack to do what he needs to do?"

Gwen looked at her curiously. "You mean you want to mess with them?"

Tosh nodded happily.

Ianto flashed the two women a wicked grin. "Oh yeah… I think I can manage it!"


	23. Chapter 23

**REVELATIONS**

**TWENTYTHREE**

Alone.

So alone.

He'd never been good at it. Just like he'd never been good at sitting still, or being quiet.

A tiny ember of anger suddenly flared up in his core, but was just as abruptly extinguished.

He shifted painfully. There were sores on his body from the blanket, from the hard floor.

And there was the taste of blood in his mouth. He wasn't quite sure where it was coming from; perhaps he'd bitten himself – he seemed to recall that he might have. Or maybe it was related to the pain he felt in his chest when he breathed. Breathing was starting to be a problem…

Yes, alone. He'd always tried to avoid it. Most of the bad times during his life had taken place when he'd been alone – he couldn't quite remember them distinctly, but he understood well enough that being alone was not a good thing.

He had also concluded, although it had taken him a long while to work it out, that no one was coming for him. It had been too long.

He had been forgotten, forsaken, abandoned; but by whom? He couldn't quite grasp it. Who might've come for him? And who would possibly want him now in his broken, worthless condition?

For want of crying, which was no longer possible, apparently, he allowed sleep to overtake him.

It was the only way to deny the loneliness.


	24. Chapter 24

**REVELATIONS**

**TWENTYFOUR**

The Shrake global defenses were impressive but that wasn't surprising considering the nature of the planet's occupants. Wil had managed to keep the TARDIS hidden as she orbited, but just barely, and the fear was it was only a matter of time before they were detected.

"What do we know?" Jack asked Wil while he pulled on a black ballistic vest over his black long-sleeved shirt.

"We know approximately where he is," she responded. "He's somewhere inside a small facility sequestered from the main compound. The defenses are considerable but not impregnable. I can bring you in close. The trick will be to get in and out as fast as possible, before they have sufficient time to react or spread the alarm. You really could use a team, Jack."

"No, in an operation like this I prefer to go in unaccompanied." He continued putting on the rest of his body armor.

Wil nodded and resumed. "He's alive and alone, but under constant electronic surveillance. He's definitely not well…" She shook her head, afraid to say more but compelled to nonetheless. "He may be incapacitated mentally as well as physically. I can sense it – there's something not right with him."

Her heart was breaking for Rose, who was listening silently, pale as a ghost.

"Jack, I'm not sure he'll want to leave with you or even recognize you. He may not know who _he_ is. You need to be prepared…"

"I know," he interrupted her. "And I am. What else?"

"You'll be able to communicate with us via your PASGT Helmet, but I recommend radio silence unless absolutely necessary. I can't tell you The Doctor's exact location, but the helmet's HUD should assist you once you're in proximity. It's set to detect his life signs and specifically programmed to identify a Time Lord."

It occurred to Wil that Jack was going to be exceedingly well armed. Besides the "big honkin' space gun" he had pocketed several smaller, but no less lethal-looking guns, concealed numerous knives, and clipped what seemed to be a large number of grenade-like devices to his vest. She eyed them curiously. He noticed.

"Flash bangs," he said. "And some smoke bombs. I've also got a couple of fragmentation grenades and a few incendiary… I'm not going to be screwing around." His stare was deadly. She nodded mutely.

The Captain folded a particularly nasty looking switchblade and shoved it into his boot.

"Then here's the plan. You bring me in close as you can. I leave immediately, no farting around first looking to see if its 'safe' or 'clear'. It won't matter. You wait. The TARDIS defenses should provide adequate shielding for a short amount of time. I find him and bring him back. We leave."

He peered at them intently, his voice soft yet at the same time powerful.

"I may come in hot. If so, there are loaded weapons by the door.

"You wait as long as you can. If you can't wait any longer, leave.

"If it goes to hell, leave.

"If it FUBARs, leave.

"If you think you're in danger, LEAVE."

He inspected them. They looked scared.

"But that won't happen. I'll be back, with The Doctor, before you know it."

He patted his vest and clipped on his massive assault rifle.

"Let's go."


	25. Chapter 25

**REVELATIONS**

**TWENTYFIVE**

Jack kissed both of them good-bye. He ever-so-briefly held Rose's face between his hands and said, "Don't worry."

Wil landed the TARDIS in a small courtyard just outside the facility and Jack quickly left, closing the doors behind him.

It seemed almost ordinary. Until the two women heard several loud explosions.

Wil stood, staring at the display. Rose calmly walked up to the door, hoisted one of the guns and cocked it.

Then they waited.


	26. Chapter 26

**REVELATIONS**

**TWENTYSIX**

The Doctor was lying on the floor, wrapped in his blanket.

His mind was mostly empty.

Although he'd not communicated with Ven k'atesh for quite some time – since the revelation about the "others", they'd kindly left the chair in his cell. He chose not to sit on it.

It seemed far easier to simply lie there and drift in and out of consciousness.

And to wait for death.

He didn't know how it would arrive. Whether it would come perhaps mercifully at the 'hands' of Ven k'atesh, or from some entirely different and far more vicious source.

Ven k'atesh… The monitor had gone dark and he missed his inquisitor and their 'lessons'. He might even be willing to attempt one more visit… but simply contemplating another such encounter made him feel sick.

He'd thought perhaps he could summon death on his own, without 'assistance'. That proved more easily imagined than achieved. Willing his hearts to stop beating, his blood to cease coursing through his veins, his lungs to empty, his brain's neurons to stop firing, was not easy.

Not easy but certainly preferable to some of the more brutal alternative scenarios that occasionally fluttered through his mind. He tried to avoid thinking about those. They were not at all attractive.

Yes, he thought. It would be better if he could do it himself. He had always believed he had the ability. He'd try again later, after resting.

That was it… there was really nothing else… nothing other than the loud, annoying sounds coming from outside his cell that were disrupting his blessed torpor.

A deafening crash at the door caused him to slightly open one of his eyes. Through veiled lashes he saw a curious black figure standing in the doorway, peering down at him.

"Doctor?" it said.

He closed his eye. 'Go away,' he thought to himself and pulled up his blanket.

"Doctor? Is that you?" A disembodied voice asked and he felt his shoulder gently prodded.

"No," he said. It seemed a reasonable response.

The voice wouldn't stop. Urgently it asked, "Can you stand? Can you walk?"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" he screamed. It was all he wanted. "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

A solid, warm hand was on his face. "Stillness, quietness, trust," the voice instructed softly.

He opened his eyes. "Harry?"

"No, it's Jack."

"Jack?"

"I'm here to rescue you."

The video monitor buzzed on. "Doctor," the computer generated voice said. "If you go, the others will destroy us."

"Fuck you," growled Jack as he shot out the screen.

The Doctor sobbed.

Jack whispered.

"Hush. I've come to take you home."

The Time Lord closed his eyes as strong arms lifted him. The universe went black.

"Good thing I'm ambidextrous," murmured Jack. He cradled The Doctor in his right arm, leaving his left hand more-or-less free.

He strode out the blown-out door, looking both ways. A wise decision as scuttling towards him from one direction was a very unhappy looking Shrake. The Captain casually unclipped a grenade and tossed it. The Shrake, momentarily confused, stared at it dumbly as the small cylinder blinked down the count of three.

"Gotta go!" said Jack as he spun round and quickly moved down the corridor. His helmet's A.I. muffled the sound of the explosion.

Upon leaving the TARDIS Jack Harkness had destroyed much of the facility. 'Shock and awe' he'd thought humorlessly to himself. As he backtracked over the rubble, he ran into more serious resistance. He was shot several times; his body armor protected him. He had been maintaining a steady stream of offensive weapons fire and general carnage; his helmet's HUD displayed detailed information on enemy positions well before he could actually see them.

As Jack approached the TARDIS he saw the doors swing open and Rose stepped out holding a very large gun. "Hurry, Jack,' she yelled as she pointed it and started laying down cover fire. "We need to leave."

'What the hell,' he said to himself as he quickly unclipped and dropped his rifle, threw The Doctor's blanket-wrapped body over his left shoulder and started to run.

He made it to the TARDIS just in time to get shot in the back. The impact propelled him through the doors and Rose hurriedly slammed them shut. "GO!" she screamed at Wil.

"Going!" Wil yelled back.


	27. Chapter 27

**REVELATIONS**

**TWENTYSEVEN**

It's possible, likely even, if you were the kind of person to quantify such things, that Rose and Jack loved The Doctor more than Wil. They had certainly known him longer, and been closer to him.

But when the three discussed in quiet tones which of them should sit at his bedside, Wil had insisted that it had to be her and the other two gracefully stepped aside.

Not that it was easy for them.

And so the ship traveled back to the security of the Torchwood hub.

The Doctor was safe in his TARDIS, tenderly ensconced in what Rose had always thought of as the 'Shogun' room, after one of her favorite books. Tatami mats, shoji screens, polished rosewood walls, a low table, a tea tansu, and a thick, soft cotton futon spread out on the floor made up the minimalist interior. On the table a multi-tiered rock fountain was softly gurgling – the only sound that could be heard other than The Doctor's slow, rhythmic breathing.

Wil sat cross-legged on a mat next to the futon, watching his face and meditating. She was serene – at total peace with herself and her surroundings. She knew that to some extent he could sense her emotions and beneficially absorb them, although there were many parts of his psyche that were severely bruised and damaged, as was his body.

He would sleep until he had no further need of it. Until then, she waited, watched and… what? Prayed? She had never believed in God, at least not in the God of her parents or the God of her born-again friends.

And yet, lately, she had come to feel that there was something – perhaps _somethings_ – out there greater than her, greater than anything observable. She was humbled and comforted by the revelation. There was so very much she did not know. The words Shakespeare put in Hamlet's mouth were true after all:

'_There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,  
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy_.'

And so she prayed for him, that he would always be well, would always be himself, and would always _exist_, because the Universe-with-a-capital-U needed him.

She studied The Doctor's face. Her pilgrimage had brought her full-circle, not once but twice.

"And what of me?" she whispered.

The Doctor opened his eyes and looked at her.

"You are the bravest person I know," she went on as if they were in the middle of a conversation.

"I couldn't tell them, but everything that happened to you – everything you went through, experienced and thought – I felt, shared, _knew_. I am in awe of your strength and your resilience. I am inspired by your fearlessness. I revere your sense of mercy, fairness and morality."

She reached out and lightly touched his face.

"That is why I return your gift to you. Not because I do not want it, but because as long as you are with us I have no need of it.

"And because this is where I belong."

She smiled and was once again, entirely, only – and that is saying _a lot_ – the human being Wil Beinert.

The Doctor smiled back.


	28. Chapter 28

**REVELATIONS**

**TWENTYEIGHT**

A while later, after Wil had taken her leave, Jack stood in the doorway.

"Captain," the Time Lord said hoarsely.

"Doctor."

"Thank you."

"My pleasure."

Walking over, Jack lowered himself to ground-level with a groan and creaking knees.

"Ah, I'm not as young as I used to be…"

"You're younger than you might be," The Doctor smiled.

Jack nodded silently, looking closely at his old friend.

"Are you gonna be okay?"

The Doctor nodded, "Of course. How about you?"

"Just a few bullets, nothing serious."

"Jack?"

"I'm fine! Really! You know what they say – you can't make an omelet without breaking eggs."

"So I'm breakfast now?"

"I'd have you."

The Doctor snorted but then became serious. "You could've gotten hurt, or worse; much worse."

"I know, but you're worth the risk. Besides, I wasn't alone. I had my amazing team backing me up. I wondered why the place was so deserted when I got there – at first I only had to blow up buildings, not big-ass ugly bugs…"

The Doctor groaned but Jack ignored him.

"My team created a hell of a diversion via a novel use of subspace communications. The poor buggers actually thought that all hell was breaking loose! It was brilliant. Totally, twistedly and beautifully brilliant!

"And then, of course, there was Wil…" Jack shook his head in wonder.

"Yeah, how'd you manage _that_?"

"Well, we followed your advice and had the TARDIS fetch her."

The Doctor held up a hand. "What do you mean my 'advice'?"

"You know; the hologram where you told me…"

Jack saw the look on The Doctor's face. It was worth a thousand words.

"Oh. You didn't tell me?"

"Nope."

"That wasn't you?"

"Nope."

"But…"

"Nope."

Jack shook his head, blue eyes meeting brown.

"Curses," he finally laughed. "Fooled again."

"Yep."

The two men were silent.

Jack eyed the futon. "I suppose you don't want any company in there, do you?"

"Nope."

"Had to ask. Um, how are the clothes?"

"Thanks, Jack, for the boxers and t-shirt. They're swell."

"It was the least I could do."

Jack leaned over and gently kissed The Doctor on his forehead. "I think there's someone else waiting to see you; I'll go find her."

He stood up stiffly and turned towards the door.

"Thank you, again." The Doctor softly called after him.

"Anytime."


	29. Chapter 29

**REVELATIONS**

**TWENTYNINE**

Rose stood in the doorway, watching him sleep.

His face was emaciated. There were huge dark circles under his eyes and bruises on his exposed right shoulder and upper arm.

Farther down his right hand was white knuckled, gripping the edge of the comforter.

He opened his eyes. "Rose."

"Are you okay?" She asked softly.

At first he nodded but then his eyes filled with tears as he started shaking his head back and forth.

"No," he sobbed.

She went to him quickly, dropping to her knees at the edge of the futon and wrapping him in her arms.

"I'm so sorry," she said. "It's gonna be okay, I promise. I'm so very sorry." She rocked him back and forth and pressed her lips into the top of his head.

He inhaled sharply, pulled away and looked at her.

"What have you to be sorry about?"

"My Doctor, I mean to keep you safe and protected, always, and I failed you," she whispered.

"Oh, don't be silly."

"No, don't _you_ be silly," she snapped back at him, but with a glint in her eye. "It's part of the job description, don't you know? To safeguard, defend and watch over you; it is a very solemn responsibility! Are you gonna fire me?"

She sat back and repositioned herself, pulling her knees up to her chin.

"Well, no," he answered. "But at your next annual review we'll have to further discuss this failure." The Doctor laughed and it sounded genuine; it warmed her heart and gave her hope.

The two were silent for a long minute, looking at each other – she in relief, he in gratitude.

"I'm cold," he said, raising the edge of the comforter into the air. "Care to join me?"

She looked down and giggled, and then laughed.

He reacted with a surprised, questioning look.

"Cats?" she said, still laughing. "Orange cats with balls of red yarn?" She was staring at his boxers.

The Doctor glanced at himself in embarrassment.

"They're Jack's; his idea of a joke I'm sure…

"Come here," he added, extending his other arm. "I need you."

She scooted under the blanket and they held each other close.

After a few minutes he gently pushed her back as he tried to make his still aching body more comfortable.

"Rose," he said finally, quietly, looking up at the ceiling. "My people didn't exile me, I ran away from them, and when I left I stole the TARDIS. I have been a father and a grandfather. My first companion, Susan, was my granddaughter."

He took a deep breath.

"During our travels she fell in love with a handsome twenty-second century revolutionary, and it hurt so much and was so hard when I realized that I would have to let go of her…"


	30. Chapter 30

**REVELATIONS**

**THIRTY**

"Are you gonna fire me?" Wil asked Jack as he sat across from her at his desk.

"Ach, I dinnae ken, lassie. Do ye wanna be fired?" The Captain replied in an exaggerated Scottish brogue.

Taken aback, she peered at him curiously.

"What are you playing at?"

Jack laughed, his eyes sparkling. "That was such a totally absurd question I thought it deserved an equally ridiculous answer. But more to the point, of course not. What made you think I would?"

"Well, for starters, I went AWOL with The Doctor."

"He came back, didn't he?"

Wil nodded mutely.

"And he was okay, wasn't he?"

Again, she nodded.

"In my book, that qualifies as 'good news'. I don't know about your book, but we have far too little of the good stuff around here to take _any_ for granted."

He gazed at her levelly, waiting.

"And then I didn't come back with him."

"That was your choice. I figure you must've had a good reason to stay behind. I trust your judgment and respect your intelligence." He smiled, "But don't expect any back pay."

She picked up a large piece of coral from his desk and examined it intently. She wasn't sure she could bear to look at him during the next bit.

"And I hurt you."

He stood up, slowly walked over to her, reclaimed his _objet d'art_, and placed it carefully back on his desk.

"Yes, you did. Don't ever do it again."

"I won't. I promise." She looked into his eyes and held her breath without realizing it.

"Okay then!" Jack smiled reassuringly. "Seems to me you have a very long mission report to write, I suggest you get to it."

"Yes, sir!" she saluted him, and he winked as he returned the salute.


	31. Epilogue

**REVELATIONS**

**EPILOGUE**

"What is that you're playing?" asked Rose.

"It's a chromatic accordion."

"No, I mean what _music_ are you playing? I like it."

"Oh! It's a waltz – 'Tales from the Vienna Woods' – by Johann Strauss. That's Johann Strauss _the Second_, also known as 'The Waltz King.' Do you really?"

She nodded and The Doctor smiled brightly.

"The piece includes a virtuoso part for a zither but I've not managed to find one, yet. You haven't seen a zither anywhere, have you?"

Rose smiled back and shook her head.

He was doing fairly well, all things considered…

After he'd recovered enough to get out of bed, they had all come to see him.

Wil visited briefly before leaving to spend a few days with her family in Berlin. Rose perceptively excused herself and had not been privy to their conversation, but Wil hugged her happily as she walked out of the TARDIS. "Keep in touch," she whispered in Rose's ear.

Later, Jack was followed in by his team. Rose suppressed a smile and thought they all rather looked like goslings, tagging along after their mum.

Somehow, somewhere the Captain had obtained an exact duplicate of The Doctor's long, brown coat; a replacement for what had been lost on the Shrake homeworld.

The expression on the Time Lord's face as Jack handed it to him was priceless and, as far as Rose could tell, unique. It was one of the very few times Rose had seen the Gallifreyan absolutely speechless.

As The Doctor stood blinking, Jack cleared his throat. "Um, unfortunately I can't replace your sonic screwdriver."

"Oh! That's okay!" The Doctor recovered himself quickly. "No worries! I have hundreds of them!"

He then motioned towards Jack's team. "Do you think they'd fancy a tour?"

Jack nodded and The Doctor looked at Rose. "Would you mind?"

Rose trundled the goslings off, leaving The Doctor and Jack to each other.

Again, she had no idea what was discussed but when the group returned the two friends were standing in silence, smiling.

Then Jack and his team departed, and the Time Lord and his Companion were alone.

"Whelp," said The Doctor, carefully putting down his accordion. "Perhaps it's time to leave…

"But first," He walked over to Rose, smiled brilliantly and extended his hand to her. "Would you care to dance?"

'The Blue Danube' waltz began to play and the two laughed merrily as they careened around the control room to the sound of cellos, horns and crashing cymbals.

**FINIS**

_It's the courage to continue that counts.  
_Winston Churchill

**Afterword**

_The sequel to Revelations is called Vengeance. Read on!_


End file.
